The preparations were hugely important to Beltran, a fighter who’s 2-1 in the UFC with victories over Rolles Gracie and Tim Hague and a recent decision loss to Matt Mitrione at UFC 119. After all, Barry has hobbled many opponents, such as UFC-debut foe Dan Evensen, by his compact stature and powerful leg kicks.

But Beltran got his man.

“In terms of his dimensions, I had a partner, Lew ‘The Titan’ Polley, who’s a really good fighter, who’s almost a clone, but he’s black,” Beltran said of the one-time IFL fighter. “We called him ‘BlackBarry.’ He was complete with the oversized thighs. He was perfect for grappling and sparring. He’s got really good stand-up.”

A host of UFC regulars rounded out his supporting cast.

“I also had Brandon Vera, Travis Browne, Phil Davis,” said Beltran, who signed with the UFC in 2010 after knockout wins over notables such as Houston Alexander, Sherman Pendergarst and Wes Combs. “Those guys are all really good strikers, especially Brandon and Travis. They kick really, really hard. I’ll be ready.”

Vera, in fact, was one of the biggest reasons Beltran was able to transform from a strict brawler to a well-balanced MMA fighter. Or more, specifically, Vera’s leg kicks were the reason.

The recent UFC castoff forced Beltran to reconsider the type of defensives his game was lacking.

“It’s funny because when I first started training down at Alliance (Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.), I was basically just a brawler,” he said. “I had this theory with Brandon because he would love to kick the [expletive] out of my legs. For every time he kicks me in the legs, I have to punch him in the face five times.”

He thinks that ratio could work against Barry.

“I think that will serve me OK in this fight,” he said. “I’ll take a leg kick if I can hit him in the face five times.”

The magnitude of the opportunity isn’t lost on Beltran, who’s trying to gain some traction in a top-heavy heavyweight division. The title picture is crowded with contenders such as “The Ultimate Fighter 13″ coaches Junior Dos Santos and Brock Lesnar, as well as Shane Carwin, Frank Mir, Brendan Schaub and a few others. They’re all jockeying for position while champ Cain Velasquez recovers from major shoulder surgery, and Beltran doesn’t want left behind.

Beltran, after all, admittedly is on the lower rung of the division, but he knows a victory over fan favorite Barry could give him a boost.

“I think if I do well in this fight, that’s going to project me on to a different tier,” he said. “I think right now, I’m still one of the bottom guys knocking at the door and trying to break my way through to that next level. Obviously, the UFC has enough faith in me that I’ll perform well based upon my last performances in the octagon that they’re giving me an opportunity to face someone like Pat Barry, who’s already been a headliner, who’s already been in that maybe not top-top tier, but if we’re using those terms, maybe the middle tier.

“I think a dominant showing against Pat Barry gets me right up in there maybe within a fight or two of fighting a top-10 guy. It all boils down to winning the fights.”

After all, that’s the only way to get the UFC officials to take notice.

“Rankings and polls and forums, all that [expletive] doesn’t mean nothing if you don’t win,” he said.

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